Shanghai Disney Resort today crowned the winner of the very first Disney Imaginations Shanghai Design Competition, after hundreds of students submitted their ideas and demonstrated their talent and passion for creative entertainment. Every stage of the competition saw teams comprised of local college students exhibiting their extraordinary design skills and creative abilities, with the competition further showcasing Shanghai Disney Resort’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of theme park designers and innovators.

Students from five selected universities across Shanghai proposed hypothetical concepts as part of the project’s challenge to recreate the experience of safely exploring the natural and ancient wonders of the world at Shanghai Disneyland. Approximately 100 applications were received, of which, 6 finalists were selected by an international panel of judges from Shanghai Disney Resort and Walt Disney Imagineering Asia. The submissions were all judged on their conceptual design, technological innovation, creativity, and storytelling. The judges also made their selections based on the teams’ ability to work together and to tell a compelling and engaging story.

Earlier today, the six finalist teams from Shanghai Theatre Academy, East China University of Science and Technology, and Donghua University presented their projects to the leadership of Shanghai Disney Resort and Walt Disney Imagineering Asia, with each team showcasing their creativity and ability to innovate.

After much deliberation, Magic Plate from East China University of Science and Technology was awarded first place for their inventive design titled Pa-Ro-Dye which was themed to Paricutin volcano in Mexico. They will receive a fully sponsored trip by Shanghai Disney Resort to the Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) headquarters in Glendale, California, where they will go behind-the-scenes and gain a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience. Upon their return to China, the team can continue their creative journey by interning at Shanghai Disney Resort, where they will be able to learn from some of the most creative minds in the industry.

The Walt Disney Imagineering’s Imaginations Design Competition in the US was created in 1991 by Disney Legend and Imagineering executive, the late Marty Sklar, with the purpose of seeking out and nurturing the next generation of diverse Imagineers. Many of the participants interned at Walt Disney Imagineering, and some even went on to become full-time Imagineers. Committed to bringing the best of Disney’s creative practices to local industries, and to cultivating young local talents, Shanghai Disney Resort launched the Disney Imaginations Shanghai Design Competition earlier this year at select universities with support from the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission.